Christian Leaders Write Critical Letter to Donald Trump

Stop using nuclear war rhetoric, start fighting climate change and always speak the truth. These are some of the demands an international assembly of Pentecostal and charismatic leaders sent to the White House on the anniversary of President Donald Trump’s inauguration, January 20th.

Amos Yong and Craig S. Keener, commonly viewed as two of the world’s leading Pentecostal scholars, are among the signatories. Brian Zahnd, pastor of Word of Life church in Saint Joseph, Missouri, and Jane Caulton, minister of Greater Mount Calvary Holy Church in Washington, D.C., also stand by the letter.

The Letter

Dear Mr. President,

We, leaders in the Pentecostal-Charismatic movement, who share the belief in God’s Word, salvation uniquely found in Jesus Christ and the continuing ministry of the Holy Spirit and His gifts, write to you today on the anniversary of your inauguration.

We write this to, with great respect, express dissatisfaction, discomfort and distrust in your policies and behavior.

As Pentecostals and Charismatics, one of our distinctive focuses is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Christ Jesus, and it is incongruous for us to claim His gifts while walking and working in a way that does not follow Jesus’ teachings, commands, and heart. Because we follow the Spirit of Christ, we cannot support anti-Christlike words, behavior, policies and values of any person, even if it’s the president of the United States.

When looking at your political work and administration, we are deeply critical to:

The demonization of immigrants and minorities. Lev 19:33-34 clearly states that we should love immigrants as ourselves and treat them as natives. Repeatedly describing immigrants as dangerous and criminal, as well as banning millions of them to enter the United States, is contrary to the Christian way. Likewise, the way you talk about African Americans, Mr. President, claiming that they are responsible for most murders, is highly upsetting.

The loosening of protections for the environment. We are critical to your disregard for the dangers of climate change, Mr. President. You announced that the US would exit the Paris accord, you put a climate change denier in charge of the EPA, and you have simply forbidden several government agencies to mention climate change on their websites. Climate change will kill millions of people unless we do anything about it, and the Bible condemns those who “destroy the earth” (Rev 11:8).

The continuing disrespect for and breaking of sacred treaties with indigenous people. While you are hostile towards immigration of refugees, Mr. President, you seem to show little respect towards the native Americans whom your people oppressed and stole from in order to build the United States. You went forward with the Dakota Access Pipeline with no regard to how it destroys native American land, and you were extremely insensitive when you were to honor native American war veterans in front of a picture of Andrew Jackson, using degrading racial slur. The Bible tells us to do to others as we would have them do to us (Matt 7:12), and we highly doubt that you would like to be treated like you treat racial minorities.

We call on you to repent, to read and understand what you have described as your favorite book, the Bible, and to be filled with and obey the Holy Spirit. We will pray for you and your administration, and we deeply hope that you will change your ways.

Early Pentecostal Pacifism

Books

Links

Recent Articles: PCPJ

The US is on fire right now. Yet another black man has been killed by police brutality: George Floyd in Minneapolis, who died after a policeman sat on his neck, charging him with paying with a false 20 dollar bill. Many of you have already seen the horrifying footage: Floyd groaning and screaming, saying that […]

by Maximus Nyssen. As I continue to survey the American Christian landscape regarding responses to the coronavirus pandemic, my disappointment and bewilderment grows daily. Much of the responses from the Evangelical community – and especially those within the Pentecostal-Charismatic framework – have been frankly dangerous, conspiratorial, hyper partisan, scientifically illiterate and theologically bankrupt. There are […]

Earlier this year, 25-year-old Ahmaud Arbery was killed by two men who approached him with their pickup truck while he was jogging. These men were not arrested until a video of the murder went viral. Our friends at the Vineyard Justice Network has posted a statement by a group of black pastors in the Vineyard […]

About the Blog

The PCPJ blog is contributed to by both members and non-members of PCPJ. While we expect contributors to follow our mission statement, opinions expressed in blog posts are personal and does not necessarily represent the official view of PCPJ. If you want to contribute to the blog, contact us with some information about who you are and what you want to write about. For a list of regular contributors, go here.